


In Bloom

by UzbekistanRules



Series: Genyatta Week 2016 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: slight body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 18:50:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8812099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UzbekistanRules/pseuds/UzbekistanRules
Summary: The blossoms of Hanamura are beautiful. Genji and Zenyatta go to admire them.For Genyatta Week 2016





	

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE shoutout to [Sassanids](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bonebo/pseuds/bonebo>Bonebo</a%20href>%20and%20<a%20href=%20http://archiveofourown.org/users/bonebo/pseuds/>%20bonebo) for beta'ing this. It would not have been half as good otherwise!

Hanamura at this time was, in a word... incredible. Though Genji had lived here all of his life, he had never really appreciated the beauty before- never stopped to notice just how beautiful the cherry blossoms became when the seasons changed. And when one mingled the white of the apple blossoms, the pale reds of the plum and the deep, rich greens of the leaves, the spring became a much-anticipated riot of color. Tourists flocked from far and wide to see the famous strains of the Hanamura trees.

 

Genji had seen this sight a thousand times, it felt like- spent his springs training with the petals all around and never gave them a second thought- but he had never sat down and _appreciated_ them until now. 

 

It was strange what nearly dying did to a person. 

 

Or... perhaps it wasn’t just the brush with death that had changed his perception so. He didn’t think that, even with coming back as a cyborg, he would have enjoyed this as much if he hadn’t met his master.

 

The gold and chrome omnic looked about with wonder clear in his body language. Genji’s heart soared as Zenyatta took in the sights, blossoms falling as thick as rain all about them. It was so beautiful to watch, a compelling sight- but even as his master watched the petals, Genji’s gaze remained fixed on his master.

 

“Your descriptions of the spring did not do it justice,” Zenyatta murmured, craning his neck around to try and capture as much of the scenery as possible; cement it in his mind’s eye. Genji merely shrugged, guiding his master as they slowly wandered about the gardens. 

 

It wasn’t like they were the only ones to do this. Every five feet or so they had to stop because the foot traffic was so congested along the well-worn cobblestone paths. But judging from the pleased buzz of conversation and the crowd’s slow movement, no one seemed to mind; least of all Genji and Zenyatta themselves. This _was_ what they had come for after all- to see the mingling of brilliant white, pale pinks and deep reds of the blossoms all around, against Hanamura’s famous blue skies. 

 

Watching the cascading petals, Genji found the wonder of it all rekindled in his chest, his master’s love of nature touching something deep inside of him that he couldn’t quite explain; that he hadn’t felt before. This is what he had neglected so long ago. How could he have been so blind to what had been right in front of him?

 

Beside him, Zenyatta stopped.

 

“Master?” Genji asked, his voice tinted with worry.

 

“Patience, my student,” Zenyatta replied. He held out one long, elegant hand, palm upraised. After a few moments of staring, Genji realized that Zenyatta seemed to be waiting for something. But what? Genji’s chronometer counted several minutes without anything happening. He didn’t understand. He felt like a heavy stone in the middle of the rushing river of tourists passing by, feeling a little nervous about being washed away with the flow. 

 

Just as Genji was going to ask again, a whole sakura blossom fell neatly into Zenyatta’s metallic hand. 

 

“Ah!” Genji exclaimed. That’s what they had been waiting on. “You should press that, Master.”

 

Zenyatta chuckled, as if that had been the plan all along. “I believe I shall. But where to store it in the meanwhile...?”

 

Genji didn’t have a clue either. They did not have anything truly in which to store the flower where it wouldn’t be damaged. Perhaps he could put it with his shuriken...

 

Genji was startled as his master suddenly bounced lightly on his feet. “I know! Genji, today you will learn something new about me.”

 

Before Genji could inquire into what his master meant by that, he heard a soft decompression sound coming from somewhere on Zenyatta’s person. It didn’t click however just what that hissing noise could be until the lower half of Zenyatta’s face plate popped open. Genji couldn’t help but be stunned. Behind his own mask, his jaw dropped, mimicking his master’s facial expression. This was unbelievable! He knew about omnics who could articulate their faceplates, but he had never guessed that Zenyatta was one of them! He could only watch in mute astonishment- and faint horror- as the pink petals disappeared into the dark maw, totally void of anything that would make a mouth a _mouth_. 

 

Another small hiss and the lower half of Zenyatta’s jaw clicked back into place. Nothing was wrong, but _everything_ was wrong. Genji didn’t think that he’d ever look at Zenyatta the same again.

 

“A quote comes to mind,” Zenyatta said after several stunned moments. “‘The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.’ I believe the person who is responsible for that is Ralph Waldo Emerson. It seems that your mind too has been stretched, my dear pupil.”

 

“I- but- how- why did you never _tell_ me?”

 

“It had never been pertinent information until very recently. Besides-” Zenyatta laughed, mischief clear in his tone. “I do so like leaving you flabbergasted. Now come- I wish to see if I cannot obtain more flowers this way and we must also ask around for old phone books.”

 

Genji was helpless to do anything but follow his master as he began to move, the stones becoming a part of the river once more.


End file.
